Madder Red
by Blintz Winters
Summary: The girl never thought that she would see the other again, yet here she was. Standing in front of her own grave, yet as happy as any day of life.


**Blintz Winters does not own Kagerou Project.**

The cool, but not unpleasant, wind swept through the city, dodging the tall dull buildings and mischievously snatching the hats off the heads of citizens on the sidewalks. Irritated, the citizens snatched them back before they landed on the street. A stray gust of air danced through the city, and fell onto a lone girl, pushing back her light lavender hood. The girl froze, then reached back and yanked it back to its original placement. She cast a wary glance to anyone who might have seen and shoved her hands back into her pockets. She kept her distance from the others walking by, staying to the buildings on the left.

Her pocket buzzed lightly and she carefully pulled it out of her pocket. The screen was a bad, blurry picture of herself with two boys, one black-haired, and one sandy blond. The blond was obviously holding the phone, for his arm crept up the side of the photo, while his other wrapped around the girl's shoulders. The other male held up his two fingers in a peace sign, and was crouching to get in the shot. The green-haired girl's thumb dwindled on the buttons, gazing at the photo for a second, and then clicking onto the text.

[_Hey, wassup Kido? Also, when u gettin bac?]_

It was from Shuuya, Kano. Kido leaned on a shop window as she typed in a response.

[_Not for a while, nimrod.]_

She smiled slightly as she hit **Send**. It was typical of him to worry where she was. She slipped the thin phone back into her pocket and continued on. The wind had chilled her hands, so she blew on them to keep them from getting too cold, and shoved them back into her pockets. She turned a corner, almost running into a hurrying business man, and caught a glimpse of a red muffler. She froze, cold sweat prickling on her upper lip. _Could it be…?_ She ran.

Kido's sneakers slapped the cement hard, and her arms swung tightly by her sides. Her hood fell back again, encouraged by the wind, but she didn't bother to pull it back up. Her limp jade hair was bouncing with her frenzied steps. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until her lungs burned as she rounded another corner.

_There_. She caught sight of the scarf again, and a bubbly laughter. Kido heaved and slowed down, but just for a second. _Why don't you stop? Why won't you come back? Why did you leave?_ Questions turned in her mind, and caught in her throat. _Why did you leave? _Tears pricked at the sides of her vision, blurring her path. The giggles reached her ears, now pink with the cold, and she just ran harder. Tremors of her pounding feet were in sync with her breaths.

She darted across the road, nearly getting hit by a car that honked wildly, and over to the cemetery's open gates. The black, mournful fences surrounded the dark gravestones, all lined neatly in long rows. A sense of dread slowly filled her; she hated anything that had to do with anything scary. _What would she be doing here?_ She turned in a tight circle for a few seconds, and then saw her.

Her long dark hair hung in her face as she tilted her head down, staring at a pitch black headstone at the center of the grave. The school uniform she wore so often looked ironed and pressed, neat as always. And then there was the muffler; a scarf that had brought brothers and sisters together, that defined the line between monsters and lies, which had healed deep scars in each of their lives. _That madder red… _

Kido took a shaky step forward, and then sprinted over to Ayano. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was close to sobbing. Ayano looked up just as Kido tackled her. Ayano laughed and brought up her hands to rest on Kido's back comfortingly. Kido was particularly in shock. She knew Ayano was dead, she had been their when they lowered her coffin, yet here she was. She could feel the soft fabric of her uniform, the warm radiance of her body heat, and the touch of her skin against hers.

"Look at you." Her voice was soft and soothing, like a warm blanket on a cold night. Kido cried salty tears, and Ayano let her cry into her shoulder. A part of Kido knew that this couldn't be true, that she was dead and dead people did _not _come back, yet all others part of her were so relieved that they threw away logic.

"You've grown so much… I've missed you so much." She whispered, still rubbing circles into Kido's back. Kido felt like a child again, on a stormy night, or when nightmares of the fire came back to haunt her, she would go to Ayano for comfort. Ayano always obliged.

"Why?" Kido croaked, sobs still wracking her form. "Why did you leave? Why did you die?" Ayano suddenly gripped her shoulders and pulled her back. Kido's knees felt like putty, and her arms dangled uselessly by her sides. She lifted her gaze up to meet Ayano, and was surprised to see her smiling at her. She expected her to be angry, to protest she had no right to ask about her death, but she was grinning as brightly as she had when her siblings hugged her.

"I can't tell you now, nor can I explain it. But just know that you will understand soon." She said, eyes crinkling happily. She pulled Kido back to her for another hug and whispered in her ear. "I'll watch over you… okay?" Her calming presence left Kido, arms unwrapping and pulling back, and Kido blindly reached out a hand, but nothing was there but the cool autumn breeze.

She wiped away her tears, leaving damp spots on the sleeves of her lavender hoodie, and silenced her heaving breath. Kido's gaze fell as she adjusted her hoodie, and she remembered the gravestone Ayano had been looking at. She bent down to examine it. It was as dark as her nightmares, and the roses were as scarlet as her scarf, and the name carved into it brought a new wave of tears. She checked her phone. No more texts, but she sent one to Kano.

[Be home soon.]

**I like how this was at the beginning, and then it started to get… eh. I couldn't think of a better ending, either, sorry. Yeah, I'm starting to make a series with the members of K.P. visiting Ayano, but it isn't going to be chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading.**

**Reviews are always welcomed and loved. If you're confused, PM me.**


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